


Among Houses

by daniko



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Humor, M/M, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-01
Updated: 2014-12-01
Packaged: 2018-02-24 01:03:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2562383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daniko/pseuds/daniko
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Gryffindors argue about inter-House romantic relationships.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Among Houses

**Author's Note:**

> Reposted. Unbeta'ed.
> 
> Fic Challenge #30 for HogwartsisHome  
> Prompt: Friends or lovers from two different Houses – can it really work?

****“Ron!” Hermione interrupted, looking personally insulted by what she was hearing. Harry ignored them and proceeded to eat his soup. “That’s ridiculous—.”  
  
“It is not,” Ron replied around a mouthful of the unappealing broth he'd made with chicken soup and bread, “Tell me one - just one - relationship between houses that has ever worked out." He waited. "See? You can’t,” he finished triumphantly. Harry had long ago stopped interfering with Ron and Hermione’s fights – “between husband and wife” and all that rot – thus why he refrained from telling Ron that Hermione’s gaping like that didn’t mean she was agreeing with him or that she couldn't think of an argument. It meant that she was speechless with anger with his lack of wits and occasional bout of prejudice.  
  
Hermione, having apparently given up on arguing logically with Ron, decided to bring in reinforcements. “Harry, put some sense into his head.” Seeing as Harry fidgeted with his red and gold tie a little while longer than she deemed acceptable, Hermione returned her attention towards Ron. “It’s that kind of bigotry that facilitates the abyss among Houses. Quite frankly, saying that inter-House couples would never work! As if there is any sort of data to back it up.”

It was obvious that Hermione was relying on her extensive vocabulary to convince Ron, because what Harry retained from that little speech was that she had no idea how to explain Ron he was being prejudiced and stereotyping people.  
  
And that was when Neville intervened shyly, “You’re being prejudiced and you are stereotyping people.” Harry’s head came up at the blatant plagiarism. Giving the other Gryffindor an odd look, Harry turned to his meal once again, hoping – quite against hope – that the discussion wouldn’t go any further. He sort of had a special interest on the matter.  
  
“Didn’t you and Hannah Abbot break up last week?” Dean asked Neville. Harry gave him a nasty look, but nobody noticed. “That kind of proves it, doesn’t it?” Seamus nodded in agreement.  
  
“I’ve dated some students from other Houses, and it never got very far,” Ginny added, “Besides, look at Slytherins: they only date housemates and they’re happy.”  
  
Hermione was beginning to feel cornered, Harry noticed from the wide-eyed expression dawning on her face. “What about Cho and Cedric? They got on well enough.”  
  
“Yeah, but he died,” Ron replied, “I’m guessing that there’s a jinx on that, too.” Harry still felt that jerk in his stomach at the mention of Cedric, but it didn’t bother him as much as it once did. He’d had to move on eventually, anyway. “You dated Krum - that’s practically Slytherin - and it didn't work. Harry dated Cho and it didn't work either.”  
  
"You're making you argument based on the premise - false, I might add - that if a relationship ends it means it didn't work out. Not everyone is aiming at marriage, Ron!" Silence met Hermione’s words and she blushed, but gamely carried on, “Besides, your relationship with Lavender, and Harry’s with Ginny, also 'didn't work out'," Hermione made quote signs in the air, "and you're all Gryffindors.” Harry narrowed his eyes at her, but she ignored him. It was still a sore spot that of Harry and Ginny’s break up.  
  
Ron sighed. “As far as we know. Harry’s been sneaking out of the dormitory a lot lately.” They all turned towards him. As expected. “So, who is it, mate? It isn’t my sister, is it?”  
  
There was a threat in there somewhere, Harry was sure of it. Also, he did not fancy explaining to them why he was in favour of inter-house relationships. “Uh, uh—no, of course is not Ginny. We broke up, right?”

Harry had known – he had bloody known – that the subject would end up badly for him. Unfortunately, the last person he’d wanted to know about his indiscretions was Hermione. She’d never let it go. Never. “So, Harry. Who have you been sneaking out to see?”  
  
“Nobody.”  
  
“Really?”  
  
“Mmhm.”  
  
Hermione smirked and Merlin be damned if she didn’t look good doing that. It gave Harry the creeps. “Well, I know it’s not a Gryffindor or else you’d never have been this self-conscious discussing House unity. I also know now that you’re going to great lengths to protect the person’s identity. It’s a Slytherin, isn’t it?”  
  
“No,” Harry replied right away.  
  
Hermione’s smirk stretched into a full grin. “It is,” she breathed, “What else—? Our age?” He blushed. “Our age, then. Girl?” He rolled his eyes and nodded, trying to mislead her. “Boy, then. Oh—oh, my god! Blond?” Harry crossed his arms on top of the table and hid his face in them. “Oh, Merlin . . . Harry! With so many people in this school, you had to—.”  
  
“He had to what, Granger?”

The Gryffindors froze at the low, cultured voice that drifted from a few inches above them.

Hermione turned around and looked up at Draco Malfoy’s triumphant expression.

“Dinner’s almost over, Gryffindorks. Shouldn’t you be sneaking around in dark alcoves, wearing shoddy Invisibility Cloaks, putting your nose in other people’s businesses?”  
  
“Don’t be a prat, Malfoy,” Harry interrupted, before he got too far. He gathered his schoolbag and got off the table. “See you later, okay?”  
  
“I’m not a prat,” Malfoy replied, while he waited for Harry to join him, “I’m just missing my daily dose of snogging. Thanks a bunch, Granger, by the way. I would have to wait for Mister Secrecy here, if you hadn’t been born with those lovely brains. Must be an evolutionary advantage to have them so well protected, isn't that right?”  
  
Hermione turned red at the barb against her hair. “We’ll be talking about this later, Harry,” she threatened.  
  
Harry turned to follow Malfoy, who was walking a few steps ahead of him. As if Harry was doing him a great favour by following him, bloody git. Just as they were leaving, Harry heard Ron say, “See, Hermione? That kind of proves it. I bet you that they’ll break up before next month. Inter-House relationships just don’t work.”  
  
Malfoy turned sideways and harrumphed, “Shows what he knows. So, Harry. What are we doing for our first anniversary?”


End file.
